Jayson Tatum is ramping up to an Achilles injury return for the Boston Celtics this season. While it was previously just speculation about the star playing this year, it’s since morphed into an expectation that he’ll get back on the floor, but amid his return ramping up, questions about his fit next to current leading star Jaylen Brown continue to be asked.
Can Tatum come back and not destroy the incredible run and chemistry the Celtics have built this season, led by Brown?
While the answer to that question remains to be seen, one insider thinks Tatum knows his place in Boston, at least for the rest of this season.
How Will Jayson Tatum Fit Next To Jaylen Brown On The Celtics When He Returns? Will He Be On A Minutes Restriction?
While featured as a guest on FanDuel’s Run It Back show with former NBA players, league insider and reporter Chris Mannix answered the question on everyone’s mind of how Tatum will fit alongside Brown in Boston when he does eventually return this season.
“I think Tatum knows, coming back, he’s stepping onto Jaylen Brown’s team,” he said. “Brown is a top-five, top-six MVP candidate this year. He has put this team on his back offensively, and Tatum’s going to have to find a way to fit into that.”
Brown is having the best season of his career, putting up 29 points, 7.1 rebounds, and five assists on 48.2% shooting in 54 games while leading Boston to a 41-20 record, currently second in the East.
Mannix also said that Tatum will be on a minutes restriction when he does finally suit up for the Celtics, but was unsure about whether the forward would automatically be a starter, or slowly come off the bench.
“I would imagine when he gets back, he would want to be in the starting lineup,” Mannix added.
Though it will require some time for Tatum to get back into his pre-injury form, he’ll likely be a smaller piece in the rotation, behind Brown and perhaps even Derrick White for a bit, potentially the rest of the season barring a deep playoff run, as the Celtics won’t want to risk another injury setback.
However, whenever he does return from his injury, in whatever form he comes back in, Tatum will be a major addition to this Boston team.
When Is Jayson Tatum Coming Back From His Injury?
Last week, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Tatum went through five-on-five drills with the Celtics, in what was one of his biggest injury checkpoints of the months-long process. The insider added that Tatum’s return will come down to when he is mentally ready to be back on the court, but recently, the expectation is clear that he will play this season after suffering a torn Achilles last May.
Additionally, speaking on ESPN’s Get Up show on Wednesday, Tim McMahon said that it’s not a matter of if, but when Tatum will make his injury return.
“It certainly seems like a matter of when, not if,” MacMahon said. “He’s been playing five-on-five for weeks, ramping up. And I think now it’s really an issue of how comfortable Jayson Tatum is with a level that he feels like he can perform at.”
Additionally, though it might not carry any true weight, on ESPN’s official NBA injury report page, the company has an estimated return date for the Celtics’ forward on March 16th. Perhaps just a date put into the website as a placeholder, the news has since raised questions about whether his return date was sitting right in front of fans’ faces, without anyone noticing.
Noted Celtics fan and NBA podcaster Bill Simmons has consistently said that Tatum will come back this season, and noted a few games in March that could be when he finally gets back on the court.
Regardless, at this point in the year, a Tatum injury return will come when he’s ready to play. While that is yet to be fully decided on and confirmed by the Celtics, signs point to the star coming back relatively soon.
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